The C-27 license is California’s landscaping contractor classification, issued by the Contractors State License Board, and it’s required for any landscaping job where labor and materials total $1,000 or more, or for any landscaping work that needs a building permit regardless of price.1California Legislative Information. California Code, Business and Professions Code – BPC 7048 To get one, you need four years of hands-on experience, passing scores on two exams, a $25,000 bond, and clearance on a fingerprint-based background check.
What the C-27 License Covers
Under California Code of Regulations Title 16, Section 832.27, a landscape contractor builds, maintains, repairs, and installs landscape systems for public and private gardens and the grounds around them, and grades or prepares land for architectural, horticultural, and decorative improvements.2Cornell Law Institute. California Code of Regulations Title 16 Section 832.27 – Class C-27-Landscaping Contractor In practice that includes irrigation, drainage, retaining walls, walkways, fencing tied into a landscape design, outdoor lighting, planting, and soil preparation.
A C-27 holder can also contract for swimming pools, spas, outdoor cooking centers, outdoor fireplaces, and rainwater capture systems when those features are part of the overall landscape design, following the conditions set out in the Business and Professions Code.3California Legislative Information. California Code, Business and Professions Code – BPC 7027.5 Standalone electrical wiring or plumbing that isn’t part of an irrigation system falls outside the classification and has to go to a specialty-licensed contractor or subcontractor.
Experience You Need to Qualify
Every application names a qualifying individual, the person whose experience and exam results carry the license. That person must show four years of journey-level landscaping experience earned within the ten years before applying.4Contractors State License Board. Qualifying Experience for the Examination Journey-level means you did the work yourself rather than observing or supervising, and someone with direct knowledge of your work has to verify it.5California Legislative Information. California Code BPC 7068 – Requirements for License Applicants
A four-year degree in landscape architecture from an accredited university can substitute for up to three of the four years, leaving at least one year of field experience required. Official transcripts go in with the application to claim the credit.4Contractors State License Board. Qualifying Experience for the Examination Experience is documented on a Certification of Work Experience form that lists the type of work and dates of employment, signed by your verifier.6Contractors State License Board. Forms and Applications
Bond and Insurance
Before the CSLB issues or renews a license, a $25,000 contractor’s bond has to be on file. It protects consumers and employees if you fail to meet your obligations.7California Legislative Information. California Business and Professions Code 7071.6 – Contractor’s Bond
Hire even one employee and California requires workers’ compensation coverage. A sole owner with no employees can file an exemption, but it becomes invalid the moment someone is hired, and proof of coverage has to reach the CSLB within 90 days.8Contractors State License Board. Workers’ Compensation Requirements
If you operate as an LLC, you also need liability insurance with an aggregate limit of at least $1 million for five or fewer personnel of record. Each additional person adds $100,000 to the required coverage, capped at $5 million. This is separate from the $25,000 bond.9California Legislative Information. California Code, Business and Professions Code – BPC 7071.19
How to Apply
Start with the Application for Original Contractor License from the CSLB’s forms page. You can complete it online and print it, or print a blank copy and fill it in by hand. The finished package goes by mail to the CSLB in Sacramento with the application fee.6Contractors State License Board. Forms and Applications
Your package should include:
- The Application for Original Contractor License, with personal information, business entity type, and the designated qualifying individual.
- One or more Certification of Work Experience forms covering the full four years, signed by verifiers.
- The $450 application fee for a single classification.10Contractors State License Board. List of All CSLB Fees
Once the CSLB accepts the application, everyone named on it receives instructions for Live Scan fingerprinting, which runs the state and federal background check. You pay the fingerprint fees directly to the Live Scan operator: $32 to the California Department of Justice, $17 to the FBI, plus a rolling fee set by the individual Live Scan site.11Contractors State License Board. Get Fingerprinted Live Scan
The Two Exams
After the CSLB confirms eligibility, you’ll sit for two proctored multiple-choice exams: the Law and Business exam and the C-27 Trade exam.12Contractors State License Board. Landscaping (C-27) License Examination Study Guide Law and Business covers California labor laws, contracts, lien law, safety regulations, and general business principles. The C-27 Trade exam covers plant identification, irrigation design, grading, drainage, and hardscape installation.
You have 18 months from the date your application is accepted to pass both. Miss the window and the application is voided, which means a new application and new fees.13Contractors State License Board. Step 5: My Original Exam Application was Accepted The CSLB publishes a free C-27 study guide listing every tested topic.
Initial License Fee and Renewal
After you pass both exams, the initial license fee is $200 for a sole owner or $350 for any other business entity type, due before the CSLB issues your license number.10Contractors State License Board. List of All CSLB Fees
Active licenses expire every two years. Renewal fees:
- Sole owner, timely renewal: $450
- Non-sole owner, timely renewal: $700
- Sole owner, delinquent renewal: $675
- Non-sole owner, delinquent renewal: $1,050
A lapsed license means no legal contracting work until it’s reinstated, and the CSLB treats working on an expired license the same as working without one.14Contractors State License Board. General Renewal Information
Advertising and Contract Rules
Every license holder has to show the CSLB license number on all advertising, contracts, subcontracts, and bid solicitations.15California Legislative Information. California Business and Professions Code 7030.5 That covers business cards, vehicle wraps, websites, social media profiles, and flyers. The number has to be legible and carry a prefix such as “Lic. #” or “CA License #.”
Any landscaping project over $500 needs a written home improvement contract that describes the work and materials, sets a payment schedule, states the expected completion date, assigns responsibility for permits, and addresses cleanup. Down payments are capped at $1,000 or 10 percent of the contract price, whichever is less. Changes to scope or price during the job require a written change order signed by you and the customer before the extra work starts.16Contractors State License Board. What Is A Contract
Penalties for Working Without a C-27
Landscaping for pay without the license is a misdemeanor, and CSLB investigators can visit any job site and demand proof of current licensure without a complaint or prior evidence.17Contractors State License Board. Complaints Against Unlicensed Contractors Penalties climb with each conviction:
- First offense: a fine up to $5,000, up to six months in county jail, or both.
- Second offense: a fine equal to 20 percent of the contract price or $5,000, whichever is greater, plus a minimum of 90 days in county jail.
- Third or subsequent offense: a fine between $5,000 and the greater of $10,000 or 20 percent of the contract price, plus 90 days to one year in county jail.
Penalties for repeat offenses are cumulative with any other applicable laws.18California Legislative Information. California Business and Professions Code 7028 An unlicensed contractor also loses the right to sue for payment on the job, and a homeowner can demand return of money already paid.